Sure Enough
by Wordgawk
Summary: Emma has her unfortunate accident and Otacon and Snake help her out, as well as each other.


_Disclaimer: Um, I loved Metal Gear Solid and enjoyed the second installment too, but none of the characters belong to me but to Konami? Yeah, that's what I need to say._

Note: This one-shot fic is based on a fairly large spoiler event in MGS2, so be warned if you haven't gone through the game! I spent an abnormal amount of time tweaking this story to perfection, but I'm sure that doesn't have an affect on you, the reader! ^O^ I was incredibly inspired as soon as I played through this portion and with instant ideas floating around in my head, I knew I had to write them out! Please read and review! 

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Sure Enough

The sky tore open red. The sunset burned his eyes, it was suddenly so bright. The crooning seagulls, the commanding waves of the immense sea...all sounds stopped reaching Solid Snake's ears, all of it muted for a brief but painfully dreadful few seconds. Just as suddenly, the sounds roared back in his ears. The world continued to rotate. His blindness cleared. The first sound he comprehended was his feet as he pushed his upper body from his lying position on to them. Seized by a flare of rage, Snake switched his sniping rifle for his SOCOM and swiftly leapt off his perch down to the metallic bridge below, effortlessly taking out the flying Cyphers that already had swooped in like keen hawks. 

Even before the dysfunctional machines hit the churning ocean waters, Snake was already kneeling at the fallen Emma Emmerich's side. Her moans were soft, her light eyes closed. 

_There's so much blood! _The thought came unbidden as he hovered beside her limp body. _Damn that bastard Vamp! _Deep crimson stained most of the bottom of Emma's shirtfront and he prayed she would make it. "Emma! Emma, can you hear me?" Snake fought to keep his voice under tight control. 

"H-Hal?" Her reply was weak, breathy. All color had drained from her petite face. He felt her frail hand rest lightly on his sleeve. "Is it you?" 

Snake's stomach clenched at his companion's name. "No, it's his friend, Snake. Can you open your eyes?" 

"Snake...?" With some struggle, her blue eyes forced open. Eyes glassy, she tried to focus on his face. "E-Everything is blurry. I-I can't see. What's going to happen to me?" Awkward hands reached upwards to touch the sides of his face, but automatically Snake halted them and lowered them to her sides. "It'll be fine. Just don't move. We're going to help you." His head lifted, his somber gaze crossing the remote distance between them and Raiden. Snake made a Codec call out, filling the younger male in on the unexpected crisis. Raiden agreed to rendezvous with the two of them and Otacon in Shell 1's computer room in five minutes. 

Emma's moans heightened in protest as Snake slowly lifted her off the ground into his strong arms. 

"Hal? What about Hal? Will my brother be all right?" she persisted drowsily, not understanding Hal Emmerich had nothing to do with what had been done to her. 

"He will be," Snake replied softly, -not really to her words- trying to sound more assuring than his spinning emotions. It was hard to believe that hours before she had been ready to claw out Otacon's eyes when both of them got into that rivalry argument. Now she thought of nothing else but her brother despite that she was the one badly injured. 

Snake didn't take heed of the fading glow of the sun or the chilling air as he whisked Emma off as fast as he dared back inside Shell 1, where his friend would be waiting. 

  


* * * * * * * * * * 

Emma's words were slurring, but Snake could comprehend that she acquired the optical disc from Raiden and to some degree, the instructions needed to activate Arsenal Gear's virus. Just before they reached the computer room, she motioned for him to stop by tugging on his sleeve. "I need to ask you something. Before he sees me." 

Surprised, Snake asked,. "What is it?" 

"If I...if I don't make it...please...please take care of Hal for me. He's...not as strong as he can pretend to be." 

He begged to differ, but nodded anyway. "I will." 

"Good..." The word faded as she gulped hard and sucked in a shaky breath. "Snake-" 

"I know." His feet were carrying them again. Rounding the final corner and rushing into the open room, a startled Otacon's gaze flew up from the computer screen he was dabbling with when he heard urgency of the approaching footsteps. 

"E.E.!" The panic in Otacon's tone conveyed Snake's inner turmoil as he set her down as gently as he could in a computer-lined enclosure, while his gruff voice was the very opposite. "Otacon, I need gauze. Something to help stop the bleeding." 

"I'm on it." Glasses shone from the overhead fluorescent lighting as Otacon frantically searched, leaving the room when he found none. Once retrieving a healthy supply of medical supplies, both men lowered themselves to the floor and proceeded to slow down the bleeding, with no success. With a grimace, Snake's eyes cast downwards to barely conscious girl, hearing himself say, "I should have done something, Otacon. She was so close to reaching me -a few more feet, really. Then Vamp shot out of the water with a knife and held her with it. Raiden managed to snipe him off the bridge, but the damage was done. I can't believe I didn't get off my ass to do something. She was so close-" 

Otacon's firm hand on his shoulder ceased his words. "You've learned to look past regrets, Snake." 

Snake said nothing. 

"You brought her here, didn't you? You can't regret that. I trust you and your judgment and I know you would do whatever it takes to help someone. Like Raiden; you could have left him to the wolves anytime you wanted during this mission, but you chose to stay." 

"True...but the kid needs my advice. You wouldn't believe the number of times he rings me up on Codec. It's like he thinks he can use it like a phone .." Snake's half jest trailed off when he noted Otacon's expression of grief as he watched his sister. A tingling sensation of déjà vu crept up his spine; this was like two years before when his friend had been doing the same thing, only with a dying Sniper Wolf. Otacon had fallen into love, hoping against hope that a relationship could work itself out despite the horrific conditions. But there was something else coupled with the his anguished expression, some emotion that was deeper. Was he thinking of- 

"Snake?" 

"Huh?" 

"E.E. We should finish bandaging her up." Otacon was eying him expectantly, his face neutral. 

"Oh, uh, right." Snake blinked away his fleeing thought. No point dwelling in the past. Doing the most logical thing they could consider for Emma's condition, the two wrapped dressing around her torso. Snake took over at one point when Otacon's fragile emotions got the better of him and his eyes showed watering. His back was turned at Emma, but she had emerged from her momentary lapse of sleep then, and even in her weak state she could tell just as easily as the robust Snake what he was hiding. When Snake was done bandaging she called out her sibling's name, stretching out her arm and smiling as she gave her kneeling brother a couple pokes in the backside, "Don't cry. Your gray hairs will only grow faster." 

Snake couldn't help but let out an amused laugh at that. Otacon sniffled and turned himself right around, attempting to oblige as he stared down at his younger sister's face. His voice was hoarse, but he still managed a chuckle at her sister's attempt to get his attention. "I don't know if I can do that." 

"Yes you can....you can be brave just like when you help out Snake here." She directed her small smile now to the older man. "Thank you for helping me. For allowing me to reunite with my brother. It means so much to me." 

Snake touched her arm. "It's the least I could do for your help on the virus." 

Fumbling, she pulled out the shining disc from the pocket of her shorts and weakly handed it to him. She turned her focus back on Otacon. "So you'll stay strong...right Hal?" Emma's small hands reached up to his face and Snake recognized the motion. She outlined his jaw, a new, odd expression on her face. 

_Shyness._ Snake wondered why. 

"I'll do my best." 

"You're always the best." 

Otacon's pallor reddened, obviously moved by her assertion. "Thanks for saying so." Glancing at Snake, Otacon looked embarrassed and quickly paved it over by tapping the middle of Emma's glasses, saying, "New look?" 

Deliberately, she eased them off, pressing it into his hands . "They're for looks. They brought me luck." 

_They brought me luck. _She had already admitted the inevitable to herself, Snake thought in slow awe. 

Taking in some shallow breaths, Emma continued, "I'm here with you. I finally got to see you again. If that's not luck I'll never know what is." 

Slipping the cherry-rimmed glasses in his shirt pocket, he took her small hands. "I'd say that's luck all right." 

"Squawk! Squawk! What's up?" the spectator of a certain parrot cawed, causing a jolt from everyone. It hopped on the cage's wooden perch. 

"My parrot!" Emma exclaimed and lifted her head a little to catch a glimpse of the talking pile of feathers located behind Otacon. It acknowledged her by flapping its wings and letting out another raucous cry. Amazingly enough, it shut up then and didn't speak anything else. Only twitched its head from side to side and wing-flapped a bit more. Snake was relieved; an annoying bird wouldn't have added to the poignant moment. 

"Silly bird." She relaxed back down. "Hal, I..." her eyelids closed momentarily, the bashfulness returning. "I need to ask Snake something. But..." 

"But what?" 

"It's...something personal." Rose spots formed on her cheeks. 

Otacon's gentle hand stroked her damp forehead. The tiniest sign of hurt changing his facial features through the shadowing of eyes and the downward curve of his mouth. "It's personal. You can't even ask me, your own flesh and blood?" 

"It's something I know I can't ask from you." 

Both Snake and Otacon shot each other the same perplexed expression. Snake gazed down at her. "What's your request?" 

"Hal...can you turn around first?" That piqued Snake's curiosity all the more. Her attention rested on his face after his friend had turned away, her face still a bit blushing. "There's something I'd like you to do...it's okay if you decline." Smoldering blue eyes met his own dark ones as she mouthed, _Watch me._ Nodding, Snake followed as she raised trembling fingertips and touched his lips, lingering before taking off the hand and doing the same to her own. Her expression turned incredibly sad and she did nothing else. 

This person was not simply a young girl, but a growing, passionate woman with wishes and abilities that he knew deep in his heart she would not be able to fulfill in this life. And he knew she knew it. Edging closer, Snake bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, making it slow as he knew she would be savoring it, as any girl would. When he pulled up Emma's eyes were moist, but no tears shed. Running the back of a hand across her eyes, she mouthed a thank you as she looked at him gratefully. Snake tried to return it with a smile, but found he couldn't. 

Emma gave Otacon yet another poking in the backside and said, "I'm done." 

Turned back, Otacon stared at them with some uncertainty, but said, "Um, I'm guessing Raiden will be here soon?" 

Snake cleared his throat. "I contacted him before we came in. Should be here in another minute or so." 

"Then we get started on the virus." Otacon didn't look pleased. 

"Raiden-" Emma suddenly cut in, a dazed look on her face, "Please thank him for helping me swim...and crossing that bridge. I-I'm not sure if I can hold out before he gets here." 

"Don't say that, E.E. You'll still be okay when he gets here." Otacon took her hands once more, but this time more in desperation than comfort. 

"But you will?" 

"I promise. Don't worry about it." 

Emma's eyes closed and she didn't respond to his words. Her hands were still firmly entwined with Otacon's, so she was still in this world. 

Running feet tapped outside the computer room and Raiden rushed in, slowing when he saw her lying form. Snake observed him with growing trepidation, knowing now was the time to set their plans into motion. And there would be no turning back. 


End file.
